God Tells A Story

Oscars 2014 – Best Supporting Actress

A supporting actor is a person who plays a part in a television show, movie, or stage production. He or she plays a role other than those of the lead characters, and a supporting actor is usually not part of the primary focus of the plot. He or she can “support” the lead actors by taking part in key plot movements or character developments, but the supporting actors should never upstage the leads or become the primary focus instead of the leads. In some productions, these actors are often characters that are outlandish or otherwise notable for certain specific characteristics.

Unlike actors known as extras, a supporting actor can be pivotal to the story and may have a significant amount of time on the screen or stage. It is an important job, and it is often recognized as such by award-granting institutions. Playing a supporting role in a movie can be difficult because the supporting actor must be compelling and interesting without upstaging the lead actors or becoming the primary focus of the plot, so the actor must have great skill and an ability to balance his or her acting with that of the leads.

And the Nominees are…

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine is the awesome latest film from director Woody Allen. All the performances in this film were terrific in my opinion, so it is nice to see Sally as one of the nominees. I do not think she will be the winner in this category, but even being nominated means her work was appreciated, and that is a good thing.

Sally Cecilia Hawkins was born in London, England in 1976. The daughter of Jacqui and Colin Hawkins, authors and illustrators of children’s books, Hawkins was born in Dulwich, and brought up in Blackheath, in southeast London. She attended James Allen’s Girls’ School in Dulwich. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1998. Hawkins made her first notable screen performance as Samantha in the 2002 Mike Leigh film All or Nothing. In 2007, she played the lead in a new film of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and followed this with her critically acclaimed performance in Happy-Go-Lucky.

– IMDb Mini Biography

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Already an Oscar winner, this amazing young woman can do no wrong. She already has a solid body of work behind her and she is just getting started. Not to mention that she also has a solid body period. She is hot, she is talented, she can play anything! Winter’s Bone, Silver Linings Playbook, Hunger Games…you can not miss this girl. And if you haven’t seen American Hustle, go see it…it is so good!!!

Academy Award Winning Actress Jennifer Lawrence, best-known for playing Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (2012), was born in Louisville, Kentucky on August 15, 1990. Her career began when she spent a Summer in Manhattan at the age of 14. During that time, she scored some small commercial and film roles, and shortly thereafter her family moved to Los Angeles so she could further pursue her dream. She was cast in the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007), and in smaller movies like The Poker House(2008) and The Burning Plain (2008).

Her big break came when she played Ree in Winter’s Bone (2010), which landed her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Shortly thereafter, she secured the role of Mystique in franchise reboot X-Men: First Class (2011), which went on to be a hit in Summer 2011. Around this time, Lawrence scored the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in the big-screen adaptation of literary sensation The Hunger Games (2012). That went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies ever with over $407 million at the domestic box office, and instantly propelled Lawrence to the A-list among young actors/actresses. Three Hunger Games sequels are scheduled for release in November 2013, 2014, and 2015, with Lawrence reprising her role at least for the first one (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)). In 2012 the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook earned her the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Satellite Award and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress, amongst other accolades, making her the youngest person ever to be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Actress and the second-youngest Best Actress winner

Lupita Nyong’o

My Goodness!!! This girl is SO beautiful and so very talented. She came out of Drama School and stepped straight on to the red carpet. She is the front runner in this category and it is no wonder. Her performance in 12 years a slave is heart-breakingly real. I wish Lupita all the very best but I am not worried about her, because it is all too clear that she will go on to have no less than a stellar career.

Lupita Nyong’o was born in March 1983 in Mexico City, Mexico, to Dorothy and Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a politician in Kenya. It is a Luo tradition to name a child after the events of the day, so her parents named her Lupita (a diminutive of “Guadalupe,” Our Lady of Guadalupe). She is of Luo descent and is the second of six children. Her father was the former Kenyan Minister for Medical Services. At the time of Lupita’s birth, he was a visiting lecturer in political science at El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City, and her family had been living in Mexico for three years.

Nyong’o moved back to Kenya with her parents when she was less than one year old, when her father was appointed a professor at the University of Nairobi. She grew up primarily in Kenya, and describes her upbringing as “middle class, suburban”. At age sixteen, her parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months, to learn Spanish. Nyong’o lived in Taxco, Mexico, and took classes at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico‘s Learning Center For Foreigners.

Nyong’o attended college in the United States. After graduating from Hampshire College with a degree in film and theatre studies, she enrolled in the acting program at the Yale School of Drama and landed her breakout role when she was cast in 12 Years a Slave immediately before graduating from Yale with an MFA in 2012

Nyong’o currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She is fluent in English, Spanish, Swahili, and Luo.

– IMDb Mini Biography

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County

Julia Roberts in August: Osage County is NO Pretty Woman!!! She is rough and gritty like you have never seen her before. She put forth an excellent performance in this film.

Julia Fiona Roberts, born in Smyrna, Georgia, never dreamed she would become the most popular actress in America. As a child, due to her love of animals, Julia originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but later studied journalism. When her brother, Eric Roberts, achieved some success in Hollywood, Julia decided to try acting. Her first break came in 1988 when she appeared in two youth-oriented movies Mystic Pizza (1988) and Satisfaction (1988). The movies introduced her to a new audience who instantly fell in love with this pretty woman. Julia’s biggest success was in the signature movie Pretty Woman (1990), for which Julia got an Oscar nomination, and also won the People’s Choice award for Favorite Actress. Even though Julia would spend the next few years either starring in serious movies, or playing fantasy roles like Tinkerbell, the movie audiences would always love Julia best in romantic comedies. Julia has also become involved with UNICEF charities and has made visits to many different countries, including Haiti and India, in order to promote goodwill. Julia is one of the most popular and sought-after talents in Hollywood.

– IMDb Mini Biography

June Squibb – Nebraska

This lady literally carried the film Nebraska. She was great at it and hilarious too. Everything felt real and true. I confess I didn’t really know June before this but I really enjoyed her in Nebraska.

June Squibb was born and raised in Vandalia, Illinois, the only child of JoyBelle (née Force) Squibb (1905–1996) and Lewis Squibb (1905–1996). Her mother was an avid golfer and well-known piano player who began playing for silent movies in the 1920s, and later entered piano competitions, winning the World Championship Old Time Piano Playing Contest in 1975 and 1976. Her father was in the insurance business and was in the Navy during World War II.

Squibb’s first husband was Edward Sostek; the two later divorced. She is the widow of acting teacher Charles Kakatsakis (1929–1999) (his parents were immigrants from Greece), with whom she has one child, Harry Kakatsakis, a filmmaker best known for his short film Admissions, a transformational tale about what it takes to find lasting peace, starring Academy Award nominee James Cromwell. Squibb converted to Judaism when she married Edward Sostek in the 1950s; she still considers herself Jewish.

When asked about ageism in show business, Squibb has stated, “Well, it’s like anything else. I always feel, rules are meant to be broken.

Squibb started her career in musical theatre in St. Louis, and trained at the Cleveland Play House, and also trained at the HB Studio after moving to New York City. She got her big break in New York by landing the role of Dulcie in The BoyfriendOff-Broadway in 1958. In 1959 she performed in an Off-Broadway revival of Lend an Ear starring Elizabeth Allen. She made her Broadway debut in the original production of Gypsy starring Ethel Merman, taking over the role of stripper Electra in 1960. She next appeared in The Happy Time, which opened in 1968 and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. In-between these periods June also did modeling work for romance novels and did commercials.

June has also played many roles in national tours, regional theatre, summer stock, and off-Broadway. In 2012 she played the matriarch Stella Gordon in Dividing the Estate at the Dallas Theater Center for which she received standout reviews.